New Phase of Environmental Co-operation between UNEP and EEA on the road to the 1998 Ministerial Conference in Denmark

New Phase of
Environmental Co-operation between UNEP and EEA on the road to the 1998
Ministerial Conference in Denmark

PRESS RELEASE

European Environment Agency,
Copenhagen,

10 June, 1996

In order to improve access to environmental data and information for
the countries with economies in transition, the EEA and UNEP have
agreed a new phase of co-operation and co-ordination of their
activities. This will reinforce the activities of UNEP and EEA in the
preparation of the next Conference of European Environment Ministers to
be held in Denmark in 1998.

Harmonisation of UNEP's ENRIN (1) Programme and the EEA's extended
EIONET (2) are at the heart of the unique partnership announced today
by Hans Alders, UNEP's Director and Regional Representative for Europe
and Domingo Jiménez-Beltrán, Executive Director of the EEA.

In order to make the most efficient use of existing capacities and
resources, the EEA and UNEP are proceeding with all possible speed to
harmonise their activities, contacts, network structure and technical
bases of their respective networks and capacity building programmes.
This co-operation will be to the benefit of all their European
partners, particularly in the CIS, Central and Eastern countries.

The extension of the EIONET to Central and Eastern European
countries is being made possible through the funding of the European
Commission's PHARE programme (3). The harmonisation of ENRIN and the
extended EIONET network, will therefore mean that UNEP, EEA and PHARE
will be able to work more closely together to improve the quality of
environmental information for the countries in transition.

The EIONET-ENRIN harmonisation will provide a better means of
addressing Europe's environmental problems. Their activities will help
Central and Eastern European countries both improve access to and
promote the use of environmental data and information within and
between countries and at the European level. The harmonisation of
networks will contribute significantly to the strengthening and
consolidation of the technical base needed to support data gathering
and dissemination, and result in more open access to data, improved
data quality and standards, and lead to harmonised reporting on the
state of Europe's environment.

In particular, the EEA-UNEP co-operation will directly contribute to
the development of the assessment requested at the Sofia pan-European
Environment Ministers Conference in October 1996, to plot the progress
and prospects of European environmental problems. This report is a key
input for improved understanding and decision making at the next
Ministerial conference to be hosted by the Danish government in May
1998.

Notes for Editors

The UNEP ENRIN programme (Environment and Natural Resource
Information Networking), which began in 1994, was established to
improve access to environmental data and information for governments
and decision-makers, and to promote the development of national and
sub-regional capacities for environmental data management, through the
use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and similar computer
technologies. The activities are regional, sub-regional and national in
scope, and where appropriate may be used to develop further Global
Resource Information Database (GRID)-compatible centres in Central and
Eastern Europe. The ultimate aim is to improve capabilities to access
and use environmental data for State-of-Environment reports,
assessments and decision-making for sustainable development. Thus far,
significant progress has been made in the Baltic States, Georgia,
Hungary, Russia, Ukraine and the Black Sea region.

The EEA's European Information and Observation Network (EIONET)
links together the EEA, the EU Commission, the national environment
centres of EEA countries (EU + Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and
European Topic Centres in a computerised web of data monitoring and
analysis. The overall aim is to provide objective, reliable and
comparable environmental information for the European Community and
Member States to enable them to take the requisite measures to protect
the environment and to ensure that the public is properly informed. The
extended EIONET to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is
focused on providing practical tools to improve the quality of
environmental information from CEE countries. The activities include:
personnel training; technical back-up with hardware, software and other
equipment; and help with disseminating information via workshops,
publications etc. Part of the new programme involves extending the EEA
European Topic Centres on Air Quality, Air Emissions and Inland Waters
to the PHARE countries.

The European Union's PHARE programme provides grant finance to
support its partner countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CCEE) to
the stage where they are ready to assume the obligations of EU
membership. Apart from the CCEE co-operation with the European
Environment Agency, launched today, the multi-country environment
programme of PHARE supports projects in a wide number of areas
including the Black Triangle, Danube Basin, the Black Sea and the
Baltic.

For further information from UNEP the EEA or PHARE please use the
following contacts:

Featured article

Over the past 40 years Europe has developed the most comprehensive, ambitious and binding environmental legislation existing anywhere today. And with good reason: these standards should be seen as a ...

The plastic bags you use but for a few minutes can last for as long as 15 to 1,000 years in the environment. Don't get a new plastic bag each time you go shopping. Get a funky re-useable or cotton bag instead and say 'no thanks' to plastic or paper bags.
More green tips